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What Is a Home Kitchen Marketplace? How Buying Dinner From a Permitted Home Cook Works

A plain explanation of home kitchen marketplaces like Makinson Street: what they are, how they're legal, how ordering works, what the maker gets, and how they differ from delivery apps and meal kits.

by the Makinson Street team4 min read
The short answer

A home kitchen marketplace is an app or website where permitted home cooks list meals they're cooking on specific days, and neighbors order them for pickup or maker-delivered drop-off. Makinson Street is one: makers hold a county-issued home kitchen permit (in California, a MEHKO permit), list what they're making this week with prices and FDA allergen labels, and customers browse by location, order, and pay online or in person. The marketplace verifies permits, handles ordering and payment, and takes a small commission — 3% on card orders in Makinson Street's case — but does not cook or deliver.

Selling food from a home kitchen was illegal almost everywhere in the U.S. until the 2010s. Cottage food laws opened the door for baked goods and jams; California's AB 626 (2019) went further and created the Microenterprise Home Kitchen Operation — a permitted, inspected home kitchen that can sell real meals, up to 30 a day and 90 a week. The same law created a category for the platforms that list them, called internet food service intermediaries, and requires them to register with the state, display each maker's permit number, and disclose that food is made in a home kitchen. Nine states now allow home-cooked meal sales in some form; here's the full list.

How ordering works, step by step

  1. Set your location. The marketplace shows makers within a radius — on Makinson Street, the default is 10 miles, because the point is your neighborhood.
  2. Browse this week's meals. Makers list specific dishes on specific days with a pickup window. A maker might do Thursday tamales and Sunday pho, and nothing else.
  3. Check the details. Every listing shows the maker's permit status, the ingredients, the FDA top-9 allergen tags, dietary tags, portion size, and reviews from people who actually picked up that dish.
  4. Order and pay. Card payment online through Stripe, or arrange to pay the maker in person. You'll get a pickup time and the maker's address (or delivery details if the maker delivers).
  5. Pick up. Meet the maker at their door. Say hi. This is the part that's different from every other food app.
  6. Review. Only people who completed an order can review it, so ratings mean something.

What the maker gets

On Makinson Street, the maker sets the price and keeps it minus 3% and Stripe's processing fee on card orders; in-person payments are theirs entirely. There are no listing fees, subscriptions, or ads. Makers choose their own days and menu, and can message customers directly. Compare that to delivery apps, where a restaurant gives up 15–30% and never learns the customer's name — full comparison here.

How it's different from…

Home kitchen marketplaceDelivery appMeal kitRestaurant
Who cooksA permitted neighbor, todayA restaurantYouA restaurant
Kitchen inspected?Yes, by the countyYesN/AYes
Fees to youNone beyond the priceService + delivery + small-order + tipShippingNone (pickup)
Fees to the maker3% + processing15–30%N/AN/A
MenuRotating, a few dishes a weekFull menu, alwaysFixed weekly recipesFull menu
AvailabilitySet days, sells outOn demandWeekly boxOpen hours
Knows your nameYesNoNoSometimes

Who it's for

  • People who miss a specific kind of home cooking — a region, a grandmother's version of something — that restaurants flatten.
  • Families who'd rather buy a tray of enchiladas from the neighbor who makes them than assemble a kit.
  • Anyone with a food allergy who wants a straight answer about what's in the dish from the person who made it.
  • Anyone who'd rather 97% of every dollar go to the person who cooked.
hungry?

See what's cooking near you this week.

Every maker on Makinson Street is registered the way their state requires. Browse by neighborhood, dish, or dietary need.

Browse mealsHow it works
people also ask —

Frequently asked questions

What is Makinson Street?

Makinson Street is a home kitchen marketplace where permitted home cooks list the meals they're cooking each week and neighbors order for pickup or maker delivery. Every maker's home kitchen permit is verified and displayed, every dish is labeled for the FDA top-9 allergens, and the platform charges makers 3% on card orders with no fees on in-person payment.

Is it legal to buy food from a home cook?

Yes, from a permitted maker. In California, MEHKO permits allow home kitchens to sell meals; other states have cottage food or food freedom laws. Buying from an unpermitted maker isn't illegal for the buyer, but the food isn't inspected and the seller is breaking the law.

Does Makinson Street deliver?

No. Orders are for pickup at the maker's home, or delivered by the maker themselves where they offer it. California's MEHKO law prohibits third-party delivery of home kitchen food.

How do I know the maker's kitchen is safe?

Each maker's permit number, enforcement agency, and status are on their profile; a MEHKO permit means the county inspected the kitchen and the maker holds a Food Protection Manager certification. Reviews come only from completed orders.